The Hunna @ Rescue Rooms, 22/09/16

On Thursday 22nd September I was exceptionally lucky enough to see the sold-out first show of The Hunna‘s headline tour starting in Nottingham. Having previously supported bands such as Coasts and Mystery Jets, the four-piece from Hertfordshire were bursting with energy and raring to go. With less than a month since they smashed Reading and Leeds Festival and released their highly anticipated debut album ‘100’- which made it to number 13 in the official album chart- the band had plenty of reasons to party; and party they did.

As soon as the lights dimmed and the band stepped out, the remarkably young crowd rushed forward to get as close to the stage as possible. At this point I knew something special was going to happen, but had no clue what spectacle was in store. The venue was packed full of adoring fans- aka “the H Squad”, who immediately started singing the lyrics to opener ‘We Can Be’ word for word and riotously bouncing around the room.

Playing recognisable singles, which have filled the radio in recent months (such as ‘Bonfire’, ‘She’s Casual’, and ‘You & Me’) amongst new album tracks never played to a live audience before, the band elicited a passionate response from the crowd for every single song, each one an indie anthem in it’s own right. I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many kids sitting on each other’s shoulders in a venue as small as Rescue Rooms before.

My personal favourite performances were ‘Alive’ and album track ‘Piece by Piece’, where the stage was flooded by a rainbow spectrum of coloured lights; it was difficult to draw your attention away from Ryan Potter, the energetic lead singer of the band to the rest of the band, however together they delivered a highly polished and punchy live set. After a particularly raucous and rowdy encore, the band left the stage to meet and greet their adoring fans outside the venue.

It’s easy to see why The Hunna have attracted legions of dedicated and passionate supporters; and with an upcoming tour in support of Jimmy Eat World next month they’re set to storm the US and expand their squad across the pond.